Saint Joan of Arc

Catholic Community

Justice Fund Grants December 2016

This is the good news! Thanks to our SJA Outreach Fund, we just awarded $34,500 in Justice Grants to 9 organizations in which our parishioners are passionately involved as volunteers and leaders. Through these grants we partner with our parishioners in their commitments to a better world.

We extend our gratitude to:
The Justice Grant committee of parishioners, whose discernment is greatly appreciated: Judy Saumweber, Paul Leighton, Louise Eidsmoe, Todd Dalebroux, Mary Jo Malecha, Karen Waldron, Jeanne Leighton, Ryan Schultz, LouAnne Sexton and Barb Schubring. The parishioners who volunteer with these organizations and serve so many in our community through their work. All the donors to our SJA Outreach Fund, who make this happen.

Our list of grants:St. Mary’s Health Clinics
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Dr. Tom Davis and John Thoma (johndthoma [at] gmail.com)
$5000 to provide quality health care free of charge to the medically uninsured and underserved at clinics in the Twin Cities (our grant will be directed to the Park Avenue Clinic in the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood) www.stmaryshealthclinics.org

The Dignity Center
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Sheila Frenzel and Mary Jo Schaak
$4500 to this outreach ministry that provides community and essential services to people experiencing poverty and homelessness with a “one-stop shop” in downtown Minneapolis. www.thedignitycenter.org

Muslim Peacemaker Teams
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Barbara Cracraft and Mary Slobig
$3000 to MPT to bring Iraqi people together for peace by providing water filtration in schools, planting trees, maintaining a book store for youth and support the sister city relationship between Minneapolis and Najaf, Iraq.

Risen Christ Catholic School
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Mary Pieper and Kelly Sardon-Garrity
$5000 to assist this K-8 school (in our SJA neighborhood) in providing a bilingual, multicultural and financially accessible education to a student body that is primarily low-income and coming from a variety of ethnic and language backgrounds. www.risenchristschool.org

Our Saviour’s Community Services
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Mary and Terry Robertson
$2500 to support the work of providing emergency and permanent housing and supportive services to people who are experiencing homelessness. www.oscs-mn.org

Centro Guadalupano
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Tica Hanson and Michael Branigan
$4500 to support outreach services, ESL classes, and tutoring for adults and children at Centro Guadalupano, which is part of Holy Rosary Church in the Phillips community and serves new immigrants and refugees from all over the world. www.guadcenter.org

Catholic Tutor Corps
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Jane Truhlar and Becky Olson
$4000 to assist the Catholic Tutor Corps in providing volunteer tutors in math and English at inner city Catholic grade schools. www.catholictutorcorps.com

Joyce Preschool
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Dave Eisenmenger and Bruce Ehalt
$1500 to support this preschool in their approach of “education as equity.” Joyce Preschool and the parents with whom they partner ensure that children from diverse ethnic, linguistic and economic backgrounds are ready for school. www.joycepreschool.org

Simpson Housing Services, Inc.
Letters of support from parishioner volunteers Cheryl Imdieke and Paula Storsteen
$4500 to support Simpson (a housing and service provider) develop a program to partner with participants in building leadership and community and honoring cultural identity. www.simpsonhousing.org